Water closet



Patented Aug. 30, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE f CLARENCE ia. JOHNSON, or ICHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AsSIGNoR, BY MESNE AsSIeNi/IENTS,Y

TO PULLMAN CAR & MANUFACTURING CORPORATION,*A CORPORATION OF DELA# `wenn v WATER CLOSET Application filed November 14, 1930. Serial No. 495,631.

The invention relates generally to waterclosets of the type employing upper and lower dumping pans and primarily adapted for use in passenger-train cars.

The invention involves the use of operating mechanism designed to e'ect initial closing of the lower pan before the dropping of the upper pan and the return movements of the pans in reverse sequence; that is to say, thev y opening movement of the lower pan 1s den` layed until the upper vpan hasbeen restored to its normal closed position.

Speciiically, the invention contemplates the use of operating mechanism designed to dei lay the dropping movement of the upper pan until the lower pan has reached its initial closed position, and then to permit the upper pan to be restored to its normal closed position before the lower pan can be released to drop "A to its normal open position. The invention further comprehends `the restoration of the flushing-mechanismto its normal non-flushing condition to prevent draining of the waterl supply tank in the event that the return of theupper pan to normal closed position is obstruction in the hopper. v

The principal object of the invention is to provide lost motion mechanism in the connection between the ushing lever and upper pan to prevent simultaneous initial movement of said pan and lever,y and a positive connection between said lever and the lower pan, whereprevented by some by the lower pan would be made instantly responsive to both initial and continued movements of the flushing lever .to cause ,the lower pan to be raised to closed position under the hopper before any downward opening movement of the upper pan can take place. v

A further and important object is to provide lost motion mechanism in theconnection between the upper pan and the flushing lever so disposed that the lever may be restored to its normal position inthe event that the upper pan is prevented from moving upwardly after dumping and the lower pan released to Vdrop p to its normal open position'.

The .foregoing and other objects are attained by the mechanism illustrated in the` accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of a hopper equipped with the invention, showing the mechanism parts in their normal non-dumping relation;

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the same parts in their full dumping relation, a portion of the stand being broken away to expose the dropped condition of the upper pan;

Y Figure 3 is a Similar view showing the same parts during the initial stage of dumping movement after the lower pan has been raised and immediately before the dropping of theL upper pan, a portion of the stand being broken away to show the upper pan in its normal closed position;

Figure 4; `is a vertical section transversely of the hopper taken on line 1 -4, of Figure 3, showing the lower pan supporting yoke and the clamping means for holding the bowl to the stand. K l

Figure 5 is a similar view showing the compensating connection between the lower pan and its supporting yoke portion on a larger scale;

Figure 6 is a view in perspective showing the voperating and upper pan supporting shaft providing one of the lost motion elements of the mechanism;

Figure 7 vis a similar view of the connection between the upper and lower pans of the hopper and constituting another of the lost motion elements of thev mechanism; and

Figure 8 is a similar view of the adjustable clamp designed to hold the bowl to the stand 'as best shown in Figure 4.

Heretofore, considerable difficulty has been experienced with double pan hoppers with respect to the timing of the movements of the pans to complete the closing movement of the lower pan before theV upper one began dropping at all. The greatest objection to such hoppers arose from the failure of the upper pan to retain its full closed position, until the lower pan had fully closed the lower portion of the hopper, or such mechanisms lacked the means for shutting offV vthe water supply in the event that the upper pan failed to return to its normal closed position.

both pans were so ypositioned relatively to Thus an interval of time inthe cycle of pan movement was reached during which their respective hoppers' that direct communication was established for a sufficient rlength of timev toorexpose theuser tol blasts 'Y ef air free@ .beneath the ear and?, Suleiselling^ vther person to sprays` of water andA other matter carried by the air currents. Efforts have? beenmade toovercome these-L evils Vby elaborate.. systems of timingdeviceslemplnyer y Ving complicated leverages for delaying the Vsuch installations and difficulty-ofoperation lease operation of the upper pan until theP one had been raised,' but the high cost of Iteellltngffrem the relatively Small leverages ayaleblej renderedlsueh. meehausxne impeto# te'elele'ler ueell railway @are rThe invention embodies the customary stand lOterminating in the usual; dis arge rreteledabovethe H001"- Wtha eurnerthe. /13 flared eutwarelilyfrem the dlsehareei spout portion'. The space 1liy thus provided' is' utilized fer housing the arms.. ef a pvetal' ly mountedl yoke 15 supporting alowerl '1:61' eeitrells' the disearse Spent; Onenx ingl? ,"Thepan is yieldabl'y 'supportedjupon theibasewofltheyoke 1 5 to permit adjiistm'entj upon :the Ayoke to 'compensatee forpossible c variationsin the peripheraledge of' discharge spout 11 .to insure a propersea'l at this: point.

'Fiorfthis `purpose apin'- 1758*; havingj an= en;

' largedfcollar- 19 and depending shank por-,

tion'20, isyrigidly secured .to theipan and;`

enteredf in pocket' 21' in the-base oftghefyoke:

, A coil spring 22 is nestedin the pocket andL surrounds shank 'of-jthe pinwhich is guided for vertical* movement inL openingi 28vv tion 19 of the pin rests upon spring22fandis; guided in its' .movements Aby the walls of. the; spring pocket 21ftolprevent undue tiltingofflthe'pan'lsupported upont.V

- In the present embodiment, th yoke ljisi pivotally securedkv to thev stand 10 by means.

o'fa pair of" stud sllaftseV and* 25*V tapped)l into the/arms of` yoke 15'; and1 journaled iny` bosses y26:5formedv on theflaredfs'upporti ng lo `a'se713,` l'as rvbest shown in Figure; 4S The the yoke and functionto transmit movement`l to? the yoke andi pan 16ki`n ,amanner presentto appear; To@ shaft2is`fixedja'countem set lscrew 28. and/disposed with itsv center weigl 1 t"27v firmly, securedv to the shaft by* of gravity"y toione side.V offtlie' center offroa tation of" shafts 24ey and 25- and in; positiony .tending'atyallgtimes to' hold'lower'pan l@ normally open as shown-in Figure l.y

For-the purpose of establishing control fof-5f the-:movements of the lower pan 161 by ythe operation of' the flushing mechanism herein after .to 'be described, a tracker arm 1 30e-have ingf-'alreturn portion` 29 at itsbase is :fixedtd companion shaft '24 and adjustably helol to 1t by set screw 31'or like fastening device.

To Ypositively lock the lower rpan 16 in its raised position during the dumping opera# i tion, the upper face 32of tracker arm ,30 is, preferably curved to, anv extended threatens .llaieeftesieperetilig'leverr?On- Vbell crank lwhen in the position shown `in Fig-y ure2 during the first stage of the iiushing movement.r` lhe1 traclerf'lA arm functions! tof'- progre'ssivelly increase thef leverage uponthe yoke 15 as the operating lever 38'trwer'ses thrusting face 32 of the tracker arm, whereby less power is required to maintain'the nlower pan* `16 inraisedposition as operating lever apnreaehes the, free, Outer endl 0f f Belllferanli'lt iej loosely ieurnalled upon' shaft 35 'controllinglt'he movements of upper Hanf em. eensttutee one ofi tlleielelnents Qfjtl', lost. motione0`11ne`etten.Y The erank is, provided" withH a stop lug 37' projecting late'relly freinY die lower 'Side Off ermf v extend? glgatlan angleftelever Sillas shewnfh Fla;- f une: au reformed: wahiaiournar portion 3Q eden; t. I'iiide upon.bearngfillller Shaft 8'5" and" held" fromy disengagementhby pin' 411 T Q, insure ositiv'e engagement loe'tweenY tracker arm ace'jf32"A andbell" crank 34j, `the t Portion, 42 to; 'prevent neeeible'f leter'alede ir'r'lligure v1, theterminal-bearings@'on operi y atinglever, 33 of the bellcra'nki is entered in slot' eeuwen, ebene portiera@ and er@v tracker 'arm' facci??2`1at thebase' of-the arm to y p reyem; movement' Vof tlrejV operating jle-ven 33beyonditire normal position ofresti oftliei bellcianknn'der theaweight of. orj pressure operatingjarm; as lshown in Figure '1g andL Y is' held i from abnormal Linoi'n-ime'nt by engage;` 1 ment of "lugs 4'5 on the armss off lower pan l yoke 15T"l andfabutinentslini spaces 1l l at' the A base oftlie standilfO andlimitingthedrop 'of lowerpan l'undenpressurefrom counter-` -Y weight 271; asfloestshown inEigures-l and-flv From its anglejof reposeLb'ell'crank Bil is def signedi to VmoveY approximately 10l before liigx 372011 a'rniV 38-f will" engagefcrank arm 48 time -forjthe--lower pan 16? to close: thehfope` presently-appear'. c* v Within this periothl the@pera/.ting lever 33'A will have move`dfrom thel normalfposition indi-catedir'i F kgure '51" to :that-shown; in Figto shaft supporting the upper pan 36 since thefbell-crank during this interval has swung yidly uponits bearing40. Throughout this lmovement of the bell crank 34, the unnei" pan, secured to polygonal-portion 47 on the shaftfwill have been held in its raised position by counterweight 48 secured to polygonal end portion 49 of theshaft by set screw 50 or the like. j

VIt will be noted that counterweight `48 for the upper pan 36 extends to the side of 'the vertical axis of shaft 35 opposite from that of the pan, while lower pan 16 with its counterweight 27 move in the same general direction for a purpose hereinafter stated. As usual in hoppers ofthe type indicated, the shaft 35 for the upper pan is rotatably mounted Vin bearings 51 formed in stand 10 and the pan disposedbetween them, asv

best Vshown in Figure 4.V

It will be noted that arm 38 of the bellcrank is provided with a stub shaft portion 52 projecting laterally from the arm to provide a journal and support for the flushing mechanism link 53 held thereon by pin 54. To the upper end of the link is fulcrumed the flushing lever 55 connected to valve mechanism in casing 56 supported from hopperk bowl l57. To the free end of flushing lever 55 is secured the lifting rod 58 extending upwardly for operative connection-with an actuating-arm (not shown) secured to the wall adjacent the hopper in the usual manner.

Thus supported, and ywith the 'bell-crank 34 idly journaled upon shaft 35, the link 53 'is held from continued downward movement by the engagement of terminal bearing 42 on the operating lever 33 with portion 29 on tracker arm 30 at closed end of slot 44, as shown inl Figure 3. The impact of the engagement between said parts will jar loose the lower pan 16 from the discharge spout 11 n should the pan fail to drop from any cause,

the weight of link 53y andconnected parts supplementing counterweight 27 to maintain lower pan 16 in the full open position shown in Figure 1.

To prevent possible chattering of -the mechanism parts during car movement and toedampen the operating movements of the flushing mechanism, the tracker arm 30 is designed to bear yieldingly against the operating lever 33 as the latter traverses face 32 of the arm during the movement from the normal vcondition shown in Figure 1, to the dumping position indicated in Figure 2, the

pressure thus exerted being derived from the expansive force of compressed spring 22 on yoke 15 supporting the lower pan 16, rand transmitted through shaft 24 to the tracker arm.

` Ttwill benoted that the upper pan 36 may be pushed downwardly against the opposing counterweight 48 without actuating the operating mechanism parts or raising the lower pan. This movement will cause rotation of operating shaft 35 and with it the crank arm 43 on the shaft. The crank arm will move away from stop lug 37 on bell crank 34 until the pan has reached its full open position. This feature has particular value from a sanitation standpoint when the hoppers are to be l cleaned with the aid of a hose whereby all matter and the flushing water will be permitted to escape thru both upper and lower openings simultaneously.

' To prevent possible displacement of bowl 57 from any cause with consequent injury to the iiushinv mechanism anchor bolts 59 are employed with their bent upper ends 60 entered in openings 61 in the upper sides of the.

bowl 57 as best shown in Figure 4, or looped over the tops of the bowl flange as indicated at 7 3 in broken lines in this figure, To seal openings 61 against escape of flushing water when the former method is used, the bent ends 60 are formed preferably with frustoconical terminal portions 62 nested against the inner ends of the respective openings with correspondingly shaped rubber gaskets 63 interposed to provide the water-seal.

It is desirable that the openings 61 be slightly larger than diameter of the bolts 59 to insure a positive and watertight bearing of gaskets 63 at openings 61 to compensate for slight variation in contour of bowl 57 or upper peripheral edge 64 of-stand 10. As

best shown in Figures 4 and 8, the anchor bolts are fitted with bearing shoes 65 having abutment faces 66 and 67 disposed at an angle with respect to'each other and adapted to engage shouldered sockets 68 formed in the sides of stand 10 as shown in Figures l and 4.

The shoes are formed with sleeve portions 69 to loosely receive adjacent threaded ends of their respective bolts 59 and operatively held by clamping nuts 70 on the bolts. The bolts are made to interlock with the hopper stand by means of the dowels 71 on abutments 66 of the shoes 65 and adapted to be entered in suitable openings in shoulders 72 of sockets 68 to prevent disengagement of the parts during car movement.

The mechanism described provides a sanitary and eflicient watercloset for passenger vehicle requirements, simple and rugged in design,is readily installed, and economically maintained.

vWhat Il claim is 1. In a water closet having a bowl, a support-ing stand and a flushing valve, upper and lower dumping pans, valve operating mechanism controlling said pans, and lost motion devices permitting separate movement of said upper pan independently of said operating mechanism, flushing valve, and the lower pan.

2. In a water closet having a bowl, a suplower dumpingpans, valve operating mecha-. nismrcontrolling said pans andV lost motion rdevicesbetween saidvalve and upper pamper@ f- In-itting separate movement of said pafn inde-1 pendently of .said operating. mechanismf,{

y bell-.crank loose-ly mounted on said shaft and; connectingrv said lever and operating mechaporting stand and aftflnshing valve,\ 'upper and llushingvalve, and the lower pan.

i3.; In a water closet having a bowl,-` al sup;4k

porting. stand and a flushing valve, upper and lower dump-ing pans having timed seguier-ice-A ofimovemen-t, valve operating mechanismV controlling said pansy and ljost motionkdevices i associated with said.. valve andv upper pany whereby sepa-rate movement oi-said pair. i's eilectedl independently of said operating mechanismlnshi-ng valve, andthe lower pan.v

l. In a water closet having a bowl, a supporting-stand7 and a flush-ing valve, upper'and lower dumping pans,k a sha-ft *supportingv the upper pan vand operable to raise and .lowersaidv pan, valvegoperating mechanismvn and losty motion devices on saidshaf-t connecting said Vvalve operatingv mechanism yand `pans whereby separate movement of the upper pan maybe effected independently ofsaid tlushfing valve." i. v 5. In a water'closethavingV avbowl,v a'supporting stand, and alushing valveyup'per and lowerv dumping pans, shalt for supporting" the upper pan normally raised, separate means holding the lower pan. normally lowered, means loosely mounted upon saidshafty for independently raising the lower panv and* to permit said upper pan to be separately raised or lowered independen-tlyot the lliush-V ing valve,` and operatingmechanism connectingPV said last noted means and flushing. valvey 6. In a water closet having a bowl,- a sup-lv porting standandga flushing valve, upper and lower dumping pans, valve operatingmech-y anism, flushing.` valve,` controlling said pans, a trackerlever for actuating said lower pan,- a shaft for supporting theupper pan, and a n-ism.v

7. In a water closet having a bowl-,. a sup;` porting stand and allushing valve, valve operatingmechanism-I upper and lower dumping pans, a crank shalt supporting theY upper;

panv and mounted for rotation in one direcy tion of movement independently'o'f said voperating mechanism', flushing valve, andl'ower panyan actuating lever Jor the lower pam-andi a bell-crank mounted for relative rotation on said shaft connecting said lever and operatin g mechanism.v l f 8. In awater closet .havingv ak bowl, asupporting stand. and a flushing valve, upper and'- lower dumpingpans, valve Yoperating mechanism controlling said pans, yoke imechanisinv pivotally supporting said. lower pan and i-n L est clnding a tracker lever extending upwardly from the yoke, a crank shaft supporting. the upper pan movable independentlv ofy said hamaca,

i. flushing.; valve, and a: bell-crankv operatively mountedtor relative rotation. on said shaft and havingV @relatively short connecting sard shaft andoperating. mechantsm.v Y

9.- In a water closethavi-nlg abowl, fasupporting stand and a flush g valveruipper and lower dumping pans, 'va'l-vefcperatinglmechas.y i`

and disposed with onegof its armsy depending .and operatively' engaging said tracker lever' 7b,

nism'controlling said pans, a cranllrshai't-supportingthel upper pan movable independently of said' fushing'valve,azy'oke'member pifv's' otallly. mounted in said stand for supporti-ng,- thel lower pan, af trackerV lever lezt-*teiidinfg non inalllynpward `:trom said' yoke;y and` a bel-lcrank operatively mounted for relative rota#- tion up'on sai-d shaft vhaving.vonejofits arms connecting said valve operating n1eehanisrn`` and shaft and a-` relativelylonger arm normal-A ly depending. `from' said/shalt when thelower pan is in vits normal lowered position and' mov-fk able tolslidfablfy engage saidlever to raise saidy crank armand'f operating` mechanisrn.Kan-dl anoperating lever controlling said lower panas:

lla- Inf a water closety having a loowha suphavin-g one ot its arms en-gageable withsaid-V porting? standy and allushing valve'7` valvef opsk era-ting mechanism,v upper lowerA dfump v y ing pans controlled by said operatingmecha-f-i nisrn, a tracker arm for: actuatingsaidlowerpan, ashafft; for supporting the upper pan movableindependently'of saidellushing val-veg. a bell-crank" loosely mountedon said shaft and having. one of itsarmsfengaging said op-t era-ting'v lever engageablewith sai'd1 tracker arm; and a stoppoition on said tracker agrmI for ,preventing abnormalmovement-vot. said operatinglever under pressure oithe valve I operating mechanism." 1 v l2. Inl a water closet having a bowlaafsupporting stand,- `and a flushing. valve,Y upper and lower dumping pans; valve operating mechanism'` controlling said pansra shaft for" y supporting-the upper pan-,fa tracker lever for actuating' said lower pain and a bell-crank connecting .-said'lever and operating mechanism and; mounted for relative rotation onk said shaft,l sai'd beller-,ank having one of its*A lll J arms adapted upon. rotation.v of said sha/ft to engage` said tracker lever toraisel and: subsef qnentlylock'saidlower panclosed,` 13. In' a water closet having a bowl, a supporting stand, and aT flushing nv-alve54 upperV and4r lower dumping pans,` valve operating mechanism controlling said pans, a shaft for supporting the upper pan, a tracker lever for actuating said lower pan, a yoke member rigidly movable with said lever, and a spring carried by said yoke for resilently supporting said lower pan.

In witness whereof I have hereto set my hand this 29th day of October, 1930.

CLARENCE H. JOHNSON. 

